Chapter 3 Love Beyond Fear

Jean, Larry's mother, pushed through the crowd and gently placed a white cloth-wrapped spoon into Cynthia's mouth to stop her from biting her tongue. Tears streamed down her face-she couldn't believe such a beautiful young girl could be suffering from epilepsy.

Thirty minutes later, Cynthia regained consciousness, blinking and looking around as though waking from a deep slumber. She was stunned to see everyone gathered around her. Her clothes were soaked in urine, and foam clung to the corners of her mouth. The embarrassment hit her like a wave.

"Larry, do you see now the outcome of your stubbornness?" she snapped, furious and humiliated.

"Why didn't you tell me you had epilepsy, Cynthia?" Larry asked softly.

"I was scared, Larry. I thought you'd leave me if you knew! I love you so much, Larry. I never wanted to be this way. Please, don't leave me."

But Larry didn't answer. Instead, tears welled in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

Seeing his silence, Cynthia stood abruptly, grabbed a rope that had tied one of the hall curtains, and bolted toward the nearby forest.

"I'd rather die!"

Five minutes later, Larry ran after her, panic tightening his chest. Deep down, he knew Cynthia had gone to take her own life. He couldn't see her anywhere in the dark woods. His heart screamed with the truth-he still loved her, epilepsy and all. He had to save her.

"Cynthia! Cynthia! Where are you? Please don't do this. I still love you-just the way you are!"

His voice echoed back at him, the empty forest returning his desperate cries. But Larry didn't stop. He pushed forward through thorny bushes and tall cashew trees, unbothered by the dark shadows surrounding him. He kept calling her name.

The silence was suffocating. He feared the worst-Cynthia was gone. Maybe she had already done it. He blamed himself.

"I should never have looked so shocked," Larry whispered bitterly. "That must've been what convinced her I'd leave."

Then, just as he stepped beneath a large cashew tree, he froze. Soft sobs-hiccuping cries-floated down from the branches above. His heart jumped. It was her.

He crept forward and peered up through the thick leaves, but the moonless sky gave him nothing. Still, the sobs continued, and in them, he heard his name.

"Oh God... why did you make me like this? Why did you take Larry away from me?"

"Cynthia," Larry called gently, his voice trembling, "please don't hurt yourself. I love you exactly as you are. Epilepsy doesn't change anything. Even if you had cancer, I wouldn't leave you. Please... give me another chance. Let me prove I won't leave."

Without hesitation, he began to climb the tree, whispering prayers that God would delay her decision just a little longer. But just two steps from reaching her, Cynthia jumped.

"No! Cynthia, don't do it!"

She dropped, and the rope tightened around her neck. Her body swung, and her tongue protruded from her mouth. Larry screamed and grabbed the rope, trying to pull it up, hoping it would loosen-but it only tightened. It was too late.

He stared at his watch. It was 11:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Cynthia's parents were still searching frantically, guided by rumors that she might have gone to Moonlight Hotel, where Larry's birthday celebration was taking place.

"Why didn't she just say she was going to a party?" her father snapped in frustration.

"Have you forgotten what this date means for her?" Cynthia's mother, reminded him gently.

"Yes, I remember... but..." Professor Gulu Achanakya couldn't finish the sentence. He knew-those dates always triggered something dangerous in Cynthia.

When they arrived at Moonlight Hotel, they were stunned by the size of the crowd and the overwhelming silence. Everyone looked grief-stricken. Before they could ask questions, Jean, Larry's mother, stepped forward to meet them.

"Please, you are all very welcome!"

"Thank you!"

"Who informed you about the problems that occurred here?"

"Problems? What problems?" Dr. Regina asked in surprise.

Jean fell silent upon realizing they knew nothing. But later, she decided to gather her courage and tell the truth. She saw no reason to keep hiding it.

"We were here at the birthday celebration of my son, Larry. Everyone was happy! But suddenly, as the music started playing, Cynthia experienced a problem."

"What problem?!"

"She collapsed, something like a seizure-but I don't think it was epilepsy," Jean tried to downplay the seriousness of the situation so as not to hurt Regina, believing she didn't know what had happened.

"OH MY GOD! DO YOU SEE NOW HOW THIS GIRL HAS DISGRACED US?" Dr. Regina shouted in a loud voice. Everyone was shocked by her remark.

"Where is she now?" Cynthia's father asked.

"When she regained consciousness about ten minutes ago, she ran off toward the forest, and shortly after that, Larry followed her. Right now, we're preparing to go after them into the forest."

Without hesitation, Cynthia's parents, the police, and people who had been at Moonlight Hotel immediately joined forces to go into the forest to search for Larry and Cynthia. Everyone believed Cynthia had gone into the forest to commit suicide due to her shame. Her mother and father cried, as Cynthia was their only child.

A few minutes after entering the forest, they began to hear Larry's voice echoing, calling Cynthia's name. Everyone ran toward the direction of the echo, all believing they would find the two alive.

Suddenly, about five hundred meters deep into the woods, they walked along a narrow path, their bodies soaked with dew from the misty night air, when they heard whispers beneath a large cashew tree beside the path. It was the voice of someone pleading with another not to take their own life. It was already 11:28 p.m.

"They're here," one of the officers whispered, and everyone began to stealthily approach the base of the tree, turning off their flashlights to avoid startling the individuals beneath it.

Once they reached the base of the tree, they suddenly switched on their flashlights and were shocked to see a girl throwing herself from the tree, hanging, her legs kicking wildly.

When Larry looked down, he saw a large group of people and realized they had come to help. He didn't recognize a single person among them.

"Please help me save my girlfriend's life!" Larry shouted after seeing the people below.

One of the officers raised his rifle, and with the sharp bayonet, he began cutting the rope. Cynthia fell into the arms of another officer. She was completely silent, showing no signs of breathing. No one could confirm whether Cynthia was alive or dead.

They quickly ran back to Moonlight Hotel, where Cynthia was placed into a vehicle and rushed toward the hospital at full speed.

Cynthia's parents got into one of the police cars, while another vehicle, driven by an officer, carried Larry and his mother, Jean.

By the time they reached the hospital, Cynthia was still silent, with no signs of breathing or a heartbeat. Upon arrival, she was rushed into the intensive care unit, where she was placed on an oxygen machine, and doctors performed CPR in an attempt to restart her heartbeat. The doctor said there was a strong chance her life could still be saved.

IV drips were inserted into her veins and quickly began flowing into her system.

Her parents continued to cry, their hearts filled with hopelessness. They were devastated because Cynthia was their only child and the hope they had for the future. They no longer had the ability to have another child.

To the police, it was difficult to believe Cynthia had hanged herself. Finding Larry in the tree had made them suspect he was the one who had tried to hang her. They decided to begin their investigation with Larry. They arrested him and took him directly to the central police station in Portmore, where they took his statement and placed him in custody.

Tears fell from his eyes as he realized he was innocent. He tried his best to explain to the officers how much he loved Cynthia and how he would never harm her, but no one seemed to believe him.

He spent two consecutive nights in the police cell as the murder case was filed, and the investigation continued.

Cynthia's father knew that Larry could never have harmed his daughter, but he chose to remain silent, believing Larry had somehow contributed to his daughter's troubles.

Jean did everything she could to get her son released on bail, but it was impossible because the case was labeled as murder. Her heart broke, knowing her son had done nothing wrong.

Forty-eight hours after being admitted to the ward, Cynthia regained consciousness.

The first word she uttered after regaining her senses was:

"LARRY!"

She called his name twice, and as she opened her eyes, she turned her head, looking around and spotting her parents. Her mother was still crying.

When her mother saw Cynthia open her eyes, she rushed to her side and embraced her tightly.

"Why did you want to kill yourself, Cynthia, my daughter? Don't you know you're our only child, the one we depend on?"

"Mom, I was so ashamed. But more than that, I knew Larry would leave me. I can't live without him-it's better if I die! First, tell me, where is Larry?"

"The police took him."

"The police?! Why?"

"They believed he was trying to kill you."

"No! They misunderstood! Larry was helping me. I'm the one who tried to take my own life! Please, Dad, tell the police to release him immediately-otherwise, I'll end my life for real this time!" Cynthia cried, her voice trembling with pain and desperation.

Her father didn't take those words lightly. Without delay, he rushed out, got into his car, and drove straight to the office of the regional police commander, a longtime friend of his.

He explained the situation clearly, insisting that Larry was innocent and should be released. The commander summoned a female officer and instructed her to bring Larry's case file and also call in the officer in charge of the investigation.

Ten minutes later, the officer returned with the file and handed it to the commander, who began flipping through it carefully. Once he reached the end, he gave the order for Larry to be released from the holding cell and taken to the hospital. The police commander himself accompanied them.

When Larry entered the hospital room, Cynthia immediately got up from her bed and rushed to embrace him joyfully. As they held each other, tears streamed down both their faces.

"Larry, please don't leave me!" she whispered.

"I love you, Cynthia. I would never do that. Please believe me."

That heartfelt moment made Cynthia's parents realize how deep the love between their daughter and Larry truly was. There was no way they could stand in its way.

A short while later, Cynthia and Larry walked outside, where Larry needed to hear the full truth.

"I was born with complications," Cynthia began. "At birth, I was too big for my mother's birth canal, so the doctors had to use forceps to pull me out. That's what caused my epilepsy. I've had the condition since I was a child. Every month, between the 26th and 28th, I always have an episode. When you asked me about it, I lied and said I was on my period. But that's not true. During those days, I'm locked in a room until the seizure passes-then I go back to school."

She wept quietly, resting her head on Larry's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning, Cynthia?"

"I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"That you'd leave me."

"You were wrong not to tell me. If I had known, I wouldn't have insisted you come to the party. It would have remained our little secret. But now too many people know."

"I'm sorry, Larry. Just promise you won't leave me."

"Why do you keep talking about being left?"

"Larry, what man would want to be with a girl who has epilepsy?"

"I would."

"Really?"

"Yes, Cynthia."

"Okay. Then I just ask one thing-please, just stay with me until we finish school. After that, if you want to marry someone else, I won't stop you. But for now, my life is nothing without you."

With those words, she cried once more.

Larry's case was dismissed. There was no longer any investigation.

However, a new storm began brewing at Larry's home. His mother strongly opposed his relationship with Cynthia.

"I don't want to see you with that girl again!" she snapped. "Don't bring children with epilepsy into our family!"

Her harsh words left no doubt-she was determined to fight their relationship, no matter what it took.